Acknowledging the use of his title Gideon gives a curt nod to Dejan. "I agree, if we are to act it must be sooner rather than later"
"Well met Kaitiaki, and thank you for your service in the north" Hoping he pronounced it correctly Gideon holds his gaze with the druid for a second before reaching for more wine.
Gryffenfinally begins to place bread, vegetables, and a bowl on his plate for stew.
"My apologies to the rest," Gryffen says. "I am Gryffen Knotwise. I follow the teachings of The Sphinx, a notable vagrant here in the city. He was most wise, kind to a fault, and largely ignored by the denizens of this city. The Sphinx saved me from the streets and taught me all he knew. By silencing The Sphinx' killer, I clearly caught the attention of powerful people." Gryffen nods to Dejan. "Our current situation is not dissimilar to the one I just described, although on a much grander scale. A local gang growing in power sought to clear us out of the slums. Power in that part of town needed to be rebalanced."
Gryffentakes a thoughtful bite of his bread, then turns to Dejan. "I infiltrated the gang through a friendly connection to one of the gang members. Does Dambargi have any notable associates? And do you have any contacts in his organization that we might meet with?"
"Any living contacts might be more accurate", Ophelia sighs as she reclines on her chair and crosses her legs, running both hands through her hair. "It's one thing infiltrating a gang of delinquents from the slums, another thing entirely getting inside the largest guild in Ameni. If we all arrive at his front door in a group, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, eager to please, they'll be suspicious; I certainly would."
Ophelia turns to address Dejan a second time, firing a series of questions at him. "You say you have information on this man and his business, then out with it. How did your previous operatives get in, and what happened to them? How is the guild structured? What legitimate businesses do they operate? Is there anything they don't deal in, or won't deal in?"
As she talks, a plan begins to form in her mind... "I propose we start a business in Ameni, illegal or otherwise, that would be attractive to the Vipers. Smuggling, brothels, gambling; whatever he would be interested in acquiring. Then we put out feelers, wishing to join the mighty Midnight Vipers for protection and mutual benefit. Smuggling I mention foremost, because it would allow us to come and go in order to bring illegal goods in, and allow us to report back, at least initially. Illegal goods, supplied of course, by the Empire." At this point she winks at Dejan, along with another one of her mischievous smiles. "Maybe you provide us with a small ship, some illegal goods the Vipers might have an interest in, and we sell them in Ameni. We meet with you, Dejan, at some quiet, far-flung port so as not to arouse suspicion. This is but one idea, although a rather good idea if I do say so myself. If anyone has better, then please share."
"Maybe you provide us with a small ship, some illegal goods the Vipers might have an interest in, and we sell them in Ameni. We meet with you, Dejan, at some quiet, far-flung port so as not to arouse suspicion. This is but one idea, although a rather good idea if I do say so myself. If anyone has better, then please share."Ophelia says
"I like this idea and I am sure if I was to ask my Grandfather he could speak to the other clans and see what artifacts we have lying around that have been collected over time from the Cities of the Dust because while we might not value them, I am sure that at least some of them would be of value to collectors" Kai says.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM - Storm King's Thunder - The Gods Respond DM - Four bards walk into a bar... Cracitus Tibicen (Tibi) - Aarokocra - Rogue [Swashbuckler] / Fighter [Battlemaster]
Dejan looks as though he is trying and failing to keep a smile from his face "This, this is what I would like from you, yes!" Palms placed on the table he stands up and the vigour of the man is evident. "My lady, your mind works rapidly, of all qualities this might be the most valuable trait for any of you to possess." Before continuing he raises a hand to stop any further questions or comments "If I may just answer those questions you have posed first we will come back to your ideas. There are many strands to the Midnight Vipers, some are very obvious others less so. What is becoming clear is they are not above playing both sides of the table, they are a guild of thieves and assassins, the former far more than the latter, who run protection rackets in areas they don't believe are worth stealing from. They appear to have branched out into narcotics, and slave trading, strangely they have nothing to do with houses of ill repute. We have no idea why, it seems such an obvious source of income and potential blackmail - which is its own issue. They have, as I mentioned attempted to legitimise themselves recently, mostly through endorsements form public figures and seeding minor bureaucratic roles with their own people, these men suddenly praising Dambargi have no reason to do so without either substantial bribery or coercion, we can see little evidence of additional wealth so we suspect blackmail or extortion through other means. We do not know how they approach this".
"When agents entered Ameni the first time we were unprepared for the level of awareness Dambargi posseses, they went in too hard, asked a lot of questions and ended up dead in an alley before the sun came up on their second day there. The next one in was a very capable agent who had worked for Kan many times in the past, she seemed to be making headway devising a plan to kill him in his home but we fear that she was betrayed, a contact saw her dragged from the streets in broad daylight, when her body resurfaced a week later it was clear she had been extensively and brutally questioned, that in tandem with several deep cover operatives simultaneously vanishing led us, unsurprisingly, to the conclusion that we had been compromised. We turned to you in order to use operatives who would be unknown there, both as associates of ours and in your own rights, we suspect. A clean slate can do much more in this type of situation than one with a long history of association with the Empire."
"In terms of structure there have been a number of names we have heard of considered to be senior figures alongside Dambargi. Luc Gasen, Piotyr Venden, and Kata Wreznik are all prominent members of the organisation, we believe they hold responsibilities for different strands of the business, Gasen is the muscle, his thugs prowl the city and are the face of street crime. Venden is a silver-tongued charmer who seems responsible for all the legitimate business concerns, which are largely local politics, trade caravans and shipping to a greater degree every month it seems. Wreznik is often spoken of but her area of expertise is less well known but she has a dark reputation and we suspect she is responsible for assassinations and other acts of extreme violence." He looks directly at Ophelia as he continues "There is one more name we have heard, if the rumours are true he may be a great thorn in your side, Maxos, a creature of darkness, we suspect is some form of magic user, more powerful than many, he is rumoured to have the favour of Fasod, god of Deception, and his existence means that we must be careful in ways we would not normally even have to consider. If he is powerful enough he may be able to bring Dambargi back form the dead, read your thoughts unbidden from your minds and seek you out from afar if he learns of you." The man shudders "I have faced down many foes on the field, and in backalleys across this Empire but magic users are a dangerous breed, when they are inclined to evil the potential for harm is great indeed."
"But you have suggested a plan, may I say that we could work with something like this, it would take time, whatever we do we will do carefully, with proper preparation, documentation and training. I recommend you discuss these things and do not rule anything in or out for now. It will be down to me to tell you if you have asked for something I cannot provide, or if I feel you have not considered a vital point, but this plan must be something you believe in as you will be the people carrying it out."
"I am going to take a breath of air, I will return shortly" he says rising to do just that "Oh, you asked if we have contacts remaining in Ameni, the answer is yes, we do. I will tell you what you need to know once you have need to know, but they are people who can facilitate many things in the city, they are locals and they are trusted, which is why they are still alive, and why I will not reveal them until the last moment."
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Vhon - Level 2 Warlock - What shall become of the Drunken Sailor?
Waiting for Dejan to leave Gideon speaks to the others. "How do we know anyone can be trusted, agents have left and agents have died, Dejan and Kan could have people watching and listening to their every move" lowering his voice now to that above a whisper "How do we trust Dejan isn't Dembargis man lining his own pockets to subvert what Kan wants done in the east" raising his voice now he continues "The easiest way would be to rouse the Empires troops, declare Ameni a rogue city state and have the people hand Dembargi over or be faced with a siege"
"Never trust anyone," Gryffen says between bites of stew. "I don't trust the lot of you. But that does not mean we spend our lives in fear. Besides, I'm not sure how Dambargi would be using us by sending us after himself. Yes, Kan could storm the gates of Ameni. That is likely a last ditch option. An option that has political consequences. If I had stormed the Gorgons hideout and won, I'd no doubt be sent to the Jagged Spire for being too dangerous...or put to death."
Gryffenchews as he thinks. "I like Ophelia's plan. Enter the city as smugglers. Perhaps I can establish myself as a fence in the guise of a new order that preaches to the poor and wretched of the city."
"It was a cast away thought, Dejan could be sending us to keep up appearances with Kan, and before we arrive a rider informs Dembargio and we are dead within a week" with a shrug of the shoulders "anything is possible, setting a business up is a good idea, we need something Dembargio cannot ignore. We could also watch the council members he has influence over see what hold he's got there"
The half-elf listens intently as the conversation turns to double-crossing and backstabbing. And so early on in the proceedings... she mused. "If we went along with my plan, and the worst came to the worst, then I'd be tempted to cut my losses, and make off with the ship and its cargo. If you made it back to the ship in time, I might consider letting some of you tag along."
She continues, toying with the others. "It seems strange to me, that in room full of men, no one has jumped at the opportunity to run a brothel. As proprietors, you'd surely be required to sample the stock, to ensure you were selling a quality service... Regardless, it would be worth pursuing beforehand why the Vipers don't have a presence in the Ameni whorehouses, if we were to go down that avenue. It could end up not being worth our while."
"I think it best we go back to the smugglers and purveyors of rare items"Kai says. He points to his tattoos and top-knot and finishes with "it is hard to hide this but I think I can carry off the role of a scout/tomb robber from the Western Lands fairly well!"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM - Storm King's Thunder - The Gods Respond DM - Four bards walk into a bar... Cracitus Tibicen (Tibi) - Aarokocra - Rogue [Swashbuckler] / Fighter [Battlemaster]
"Always assume you are being listened to unless you know the area to be secure, this is my advice. In all honesty I wanted to see whether you would show any suspicion of me so I listened at the door, you show common sense which I approve although I had partly hoped you would take me at face value, as a kind and helpful soul you could trust. I am, but why would you believe that? As you will have to earn each other's trust I will have to earn yours."
Dejan returns to his seat "So you speak of houses of ill repute - I would suggest against it, although I see it proved unpopular with some of you anyway - we do not know why they have not involved themselves in this line of work but there is no reason to suspect they will start because you arrive, you could waste the time and investment creating an unwanted product, and attract unwanted attention from the other purveyors of these services."
"As for relics from the west, there is undoubtedly a market and it would prove very lucrative but the supply lines would be long and I doubt we can move enough genuine material to Ameni to be more than a passing interest without investing a long time doing so. I also suspect that the current owners of those relics would not give them all away for free, but that might not be the biggest hurdle."
"Smuggling is a good idea, do any of you have any particular skills in this area - we could help with a small crew for a small ship and still keep the Empire's involvement out of sight but if you have skills we could use it would make things easier. Setting up any sort of business is viable, as I said to Kai, the supply lines are important, it will be a lot easier to trade using items we can source here in Dzendalin - small and valuable will be easiest. Jewels, Drugs that type of thing maybe? I merely try and offer my own insight, I am not trying to order you into any one course of action."
The halfling sets his dishes aside and hops down from his chair. "I doubt any of us are set up with any supply lines for drugs, weapons, art, magical items, or anything else of value. You did not choose the people in this room for their access to such things. If we are to attempt the smuggler ploy, we are the front of the organization. If we need to provide the items, then relics will be the best options, I suspect and we will just need to figure out the logistics to transport the items the great distance. If Kan is willing to font cash to the endeavor, then jewelry and art should be easy to invest in."
"We can provide jewels, drugs, and similar, at short notice and in reasonable quantities, it is the question of the length of the supply line only. Why struggle to move items form one side of the empire to the other when we have things we can move a far shorter distance that command just as much value on the streets, and will, I imagine, be less suspicious than a hoard of relics from the Cities of Dust appearing overnight."
"well we have learnt one thing this evening, always check the door" Shuffling in his seat he smiles at Dejan before taking another sip of wine. "Drugs would be a good avenue to start with, gets us in on the streets, we could take the first shipment in ourselves by sea and use the ship supplied as a base. We could also take a shipment of exotic wines in as a legitimate cover, get us interacting with the cities upper classes. Has anything of interest been moving on the black market recently anything we could capitalise on?" Gideon turns toward Gryffen "Relics would offer a unique opportunity, requests could be made and we could use the ship to leave and report back whilst acquiring them, building good faith that we can deliver on such request by doing so"
"Fine", Ophelia pouts, "I never wanted to be the madam of a whorehouse anyway." The frown that briefly flashes across her face suggests otherwise.
As she listens to the others talk about smuggling, the half-elf begins to idly play with the cutlery on her plate, until Dejan mentions providing a crew for the ship. "No", she says flatly. "No connections to you or Kan or the Empire, I don't care how tenuous. That's what got your people killed. If this Maxos character can indeed read minds, I don't want some Empire Navy-boy manning our ship, wondering when he'll be promoted or where his next posting will be, and giving the game away in the process. I may have some 'friends' that can help us, so long as they get their cut. We tell them as much as they need to know, which is very little."
She continues to talk at a rapid pace, divulging her knowledge of the wrong side of the law. "Next order of business would be documents. If you're giving us a ship, something showing my ownership of it would be helpful, as would multiple copies of any documents we would need to enter, berth or leave Ameni and wherever we pick this ship up; leave them blank. I'll also need a full set of imperial stamps, seals, waxes, inks and the like. I should be able to write these documents so that they are genuine, but have the tell-tale characteristics of forgery that only fellow experts would notice. No self-respecting smuggler would ever willingly pay berthing fees if they could get away with it, so you either have well forged documents, or badly forged documents and a purse of coins to go with it, if you get caught out."
"Next, merchandise. Jewels and drugs are all very well, but I'd prefer we were noticed as a group who also has access to relics from the west. We don't need a hoard, but we can attract more attention if we have confirmed access to relics from the outset. Poisons would be useful, both to trade, and maybe to use in the future ourselves. Art is good, no paintings though. I have bad memories of stepping through the canvas of a rather expensive piece in the middle of a heist. I wasn't a popular girl that night."
"Finally, acquiring said merchandise. If we turn up with a ship-load of 'smuggled' goods out of the blue, people will again be suspicious. 'Who are these people? How did they get all this stuff? I propose we actually stage a theft from a random imperial warehouse, which the Empire then publicises. Dejan, you could leave the goods well-marked with a token guard presence. We slip in, maybe knock out and tie up a few guard to make it look realistic, and make off with the goods. This way, we gain legitimacy with the right people in Ameni."
Ophelia stands, walks over to the table of food and drink, and pours herself a small glass of wine. "After all that talking, I think I will take a drink after all."
Kai looks incredulously at Ophelia having never come across somebody before with such an understanding of how the criminal mind might work - used to as he was to a far simpler way of thinking. He then says "as to getting in and out without being noticed I may be able to help there!"
Feeling the weight of food, Gryffensits down and leans back against the wall. "I'm against drugs as well. We don't need to hurt anyone in the process. What's the point of it all otherwise? And drugs do hurt people. I like relics and artwork as well. And maybe we can get some genuine pieces from the far reaches but they don't have to all come from that side of the world. We can sprinkle a few choice pieces in with some stolen items, maybe. I think a false robbery is a good plan, especially if it involves a notable item. We want to be noticed quickly. It should not be anything stolen from Kan, though. That would look obvious."
"We have the formings of a plan, or at least twelve percent of one, everything will have to be shared ownership of course, and I really think we need a legitimate cover for the naughty stuff" he says rubbing his hands together "I still think that should be the wine"
"I would like to hear the art heist story sometime"
OOC GoTG references are going to get you Inspiration if you can fit them in like that! :)
"Documents will be easy to make, I understand exactly what you need in terms of the correct level of accuracy, we have experts who work for us that can produce the best possible work, you will have exactly what you ask for, have no fears. It may be easier to create the initial ones with our men working along side you and then hand over some of the equipment to facilitate you making other items as needed." Dejan sits back relaxing into his chair "The ship can be untraceable, so can a handful of crew be, who would never know who they were really working for, but you can certainly do it yourself, if you are capable. I like your idea of a heist, we could make things easy enough for you to succeed and the misinformation will be easy. You may find that to be a good route into a higher level of conversations inside the Vipers too, they would surely value talent and anyone who could embarrass the Empire with a major theft could be useful to them. You would have to be careful how openly you tried to fence the items though, you need the right amount of attention, not too much."
Nodding to Kai he continues "Yes I'm certain that you could use your powers to improve the chances of success, that is one of the reasons you were selected, you all have valuable talents and maybe the idea of this heist will be beneficial in another way too, it will allow you to learn how to work with each other. If you wish for this I will set it up as soon as possible, that way your arrival in Ameni in the future will not by strange as the rumours will have preceded you. I would think that thieves working at this level would either move extremely quickly to fence the goods on or wait until the heat has died down and then try and move them. We must try and be convincing whichever route we choose."
"We can provide other items readily enough, summarise your list of needs, and we will begin to assemble them. I will also start to plan ways to facilitate your robbery if you choose that option. Are there other things you wish to discuss now or would you like a chance to rest, get to know each other, build camaraderie, or whatever else you wish to do."
If the party make no move to stop him Dejan bids them a good night, instructs them where their rooms are and that they have a good line of credit paid up front and then leaves them to do whatever they wish.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Vhon - Level 2 Warlock - What shall become of the Drunken Sailor?
Acknowledging the use of his title Gideon gives a curt nod to Dejan. "I agree, if we are to act it must be sooner rather than later"
"Well met Kaitiaki, and thank you for your service in the north" Hoping he pronounced it correctly Gideon holds his gaze with the druid for a second before reaching for more wine.
Gryffen finally begins to place bread, vegetables, and a bowl on his plate for stew.
"My apologies to the rest," Gryffen says. "I am Gryffen Knotwise. I follow the teachings of The Sphinx, a notable vagrant here in the city. He was most wise, kind to a fault, and largely ignored by the denizens of this city. The Sphinx saved me from the streets and taught me all he knew. By silencing The Sphinx' killer, I clearly caught the attention of powerful people." Gryffen nods to Dejan. "Our current situation is not dissimilar to the one I just described, although on a much grander scale. A local gang growing in power sought to clear us out of the slums. Power in that part of town needed to be rebalanced."
Gryffen takes a thoughtful bite of his bread, then turns to Dejan. "I infiltrated the gang through a friendly connection to one of the gang members. Does Dambargi have any notable associates? And do you have any contacts in his organization that we might meet with?"
Ophelia
"Any living contacts might be more accurate", Ophelia sighs as she reclines on her chair and crosses her legs, running both hands through her hair. "It's one thing infiltrating a gang of delinquents from the slums, another thing entirely getting inside the largest guild in Ameni. If we all arrive at his front door in a group, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, eager to please, they'll be suspicious; I certainly would."
Ophelia turns to address Dejan a second time, firing a series of questions at him. "You say you have information on this man and his business, then out with it. How did your previous operatives get in, and what happened to them? How is the guild structured? What legitimate businesses do they operate? Is there anything they don't deal in, or won't deal in?"
As she talks, a plan begins to form in her mind... "I propose we start a business in Ameni, illegal or otherwise, that would be attractive to the Vipers. Smuggling, brothels, gambling; whatever he would be interested in acquiring. Then we put out feelers, wishing to join the mighty Midnight Vipers for protection and mutual benefit. Smuggling I mention foremost, because it would allow us to come and go in order to bring illegal goods in, and allow us to report back, at least initially. Illegal goods, supplied of course, by the Empire." At this point she winks at Dejan, along with another one of her mischievous smiles. "Maybe you provide us with a small ship, some illegal goods the Vipers might have an interest in, and we sell them in Ameni. We meet with you, Dejan, at some quiet, far-flung port so as not to arouse suspicion. This is but one idea, although a rather good idea if I do say so myself. If anyone has better, then please share."
"I like this idea and I am sure if I was to ask my Grandfather he could speak to the other clans and see what artifacts we have lying around that have been collected over time from the Cities of the Dust because while we might not value them, I am sure that at least some of them would be of value to collectors" Kai says.
DM - Storm King's Thunder - The Gods Respond
DM - Four bards walk into a bar...
Cracitus Tibicen (Tibi) - Aarokocra - Rogue [Swashbuckler] / Fighter [Battlemaster]
Dejan looks as though he is trying and failing to keep a smile from his face "This, this is what I would like from you, yes!" Palms placed on the table he stands up and the vigour of the man is evident. "My lady, your mind works rapidly, of all qualities this might be the most valuable trait for any of you to possess." Before continuing he raises a hand to stop any further questions or comments "If I may just answer those questions you have posed first we will come back to your ideas. There are many strands to the Midnight Vipers, some are very obvious others less so. What is becoming clear is they are not above playing both sides of the table, they are a guild of thieves and assassins, the former far more than the latter, who run protection rackets in areas they don't believe are worth stealing from. They appear to have branched out into narcotics, and slave trading, strangely they have nothing to do with houses of ill repute. We have no idea why, it seems such an obvious source of income and potential blackmail - which is its own issue. They have, as I mentioned attempted to legitimise themselves recently, mostly through endorsements form public figures and seeding minor bureaucratic roles with their own people, these men suddenly praising Dambargi have no reason to do so without either substantial bribery or coercion, we can see little evidence of additional wealth so we suspect blackmail or extortion through other means. We do not know how they approach this".
"When agents entered Ameni the first time we were unprepared for the level of awareness Dambargi posseses, they went in too hard, asked a lot of questions and ended up dead in an alley before the sun came up on their second day there. The next one in was a very capable agent who had worked for Kan many times in the past, she seemed to be making headway devising a plan to kill him in his home but we fear that she was betrayed, a contact saw her dragged from the streets in broad daylight, when her body resurfaced a week later it was clear she had been extensively and brutally questioned, that in tandem with several deep cover operatives simultaneously vanishing led us, unsurprisingly, to the conclusion that we had been compromised. We turned to you in order to use operatives who would be unknown there, both as associates of ours and in your own rights, we suspect. A clean slate can do much more in this type of situation than one with a long history of association with the Empire."
"In terms of structure there have been a number of names we have heard of considered to be senior figures alongside Dambargi. Luc Gasen, Piotyr Venden, and Kata Wreznik are all prominent members of the organisation, we believe they hold responsibilities for different strands of the business, Gasen is the muscle, his thugs prowl the city and are the face of street crime. Venden is a silver-tongued charmer who seems responsible for all the legitimate business concerns, which are largely local politics, trade caravans and shipping to a greater degree every month it seems. Wreznik is often spoken of but her area of expertise is less well known but she has a dark reputation and we suspect she is responsible for assassinations and other acts of extreme violence." He looks directly at Ophelia as he continues "There is one more name we have heard, if the rumours are true he may be a great thorn in your side, Maxos, a creature of darkness, we suspect is some form of magic user, more powerful than many, he is rumoured to have the favour of Fasod, god of Deception, and his existence means that we must be careful in ways we would not normally even have to consider. If he is powerful enough he may be able to bring Dambargi back form the dead, read your thoughts unbidden from your minds and seek you out from afar if he learns of you." The man shudders "I have faced down many foes on the field, and in backalleys across this Empire but magic users are a dangerous breed, when they are inclined to evil the potential for harm is great indeed."
"But you have suggested a plan, may I say that we could work with something like this, it would take time, whatever we do we will do carefully, with proper preparation, documentation and training. I recommend you discuss these things and do not rule anything in or out for now. It will be down to me to tell you if you have asked for something I cannot provide, or if I feel you have not considered a vital point, but this plan must be something you believe in as you will be the people carrying it out."
"I am going to take a breath of air, I will return shortly" he says rising to do just that "Oh, you asked if we have contacts remaining in Ameni, the answer is yes, we do. I will tell you what you need to know once you have need to know, but they are people who can facilitate many things in the city, they are locals and they are trusted, which is why they are still alive, and why I will not reveal them until the last moment."
Vhon - Level 2 Warlock - What shall become of the Drunken Sailor?
Lyreis - Level 6 Elf Fighter - Eberron: Omega
DM - Dzenda: The Cracks - DM - Dzenda: Whispered Tales
Waiting for Dejan to leave Gideon speaks to the others. "How do we know anyone can be trusted, agents have left and agents have died, Dejan and Kan could have people watching and listening to their every move" lowering his voice now to that above a whisper "How do we trust Dejan isn't Dembargis man lining his own pockets to subvert what Kan wants done in the east" raising his voice now he continues "The easiest way would be to rouse the Empires troops, declare Ameni a rogue city state and have the people hand Dembargi over or be faced with a siege"
"Never trust anyone," Gryffen says between bites of stew. "I don't trust the lot of you. But that does not mean we spend our lives in fear. Besides, I'm not sure how Dambargi would be using us by sending us after himself. Yes, Kan could storm the gates of Ameni. That is likely a last ditch option. An option that has political consequences. If I had stormed the Gorgons hideout and won, I'd no doubt be sent to the Jagged Spire for being too dangerous...or put to death."
Gryffen chews as he thinks. "I like Ophelia's plan. Enter the city as smugglers. Perhaps I can establish myself as a fence in the guise of a new order that preaches to the poor and wretched of the city."
"It was a cast away thought, Dejan could be sending us to keep up appearances with Kan, and before we arrive a rider informs Dembargio and we are dead within a week" with a shrug of the shoulders "anything is possible, setting a business up is a good idea, we need something Dembargio cannot ignore. We could also watch the council members he has influence over see what hold he's got there"
Ophelia
The half-elf listens intently as the conversation turns to double-crossing and backstabbing. And so early on in the proceedings... she mused. "If we went along with my plan, and the worst came to the worst, then I'd be tempted to cut my losses, and make off with the ship and its cargo. If you made it back to the ship in time, I might consider letting some of you tag along."
She continues, toying with the others. "It seems strange to me, that in room full of men, no one has jumped at the opportunity to run a brothel. As proprietors, you'd surely be required to sample the stock, to ensure you were selling a quality service... Regardless, it would be worth pursuing beforehand why the Vipers don't have a presence in the Ameni whorehouses, if we were to go down that avenue. It could end up not being worth our while."
"I think it best we go back to the smugglers and purveyors of rare items" Kai says. He points to his tattoos and top-knot and finishes with "it is hard to hide this but I think I can carry off the role of a scout/tomb robber from the Western Lands fairly well!"
DM - Storm King's Thunder - The Gods Respond
DM - Four bards walk into a bar...
Cracitus Tibicen (Tibi) - Aarokocra - Rogue [Swashbuckler] / Fighter [Battlemaster]
"Master Sphinx more often than not sought to aid the brothel workers. I've seen too much first hand."
Gryffen turns inward as he finishes his meal.
"Always assume you are being listened to unless you know the area to be secure, this is my advice. In all honesty I wanted to see whether you would show any suspicion of me so I listened at the door, you show common sense which I approve although I had partly hoped you would take me at face value, as a kind and helpful soul you could trust. I am, but why would you believe that? As you will have to earn each other's trust I will have to earn yours."
Dejan returns to his seat "So you speak of houses of ill repute - I would suggest against it, although I see it proved unpopular with some of you anyway - we do not know why they have not involved themselves in this line of work but there is no reason to suspect they will start because you arrive, you could waste the time and investment creating an unwanted product, and attract unwanted attention from the other purveyors of these services."
"As for relics from the west, there is undoubtedly a market and it would prove very lucrative but the supply lines would be long and I doubt we can move enough genuine material to Ameni to be more than a passing interest without investing a long time doing so. I also suspect that the current owners of those relics would not give them all away for free, but that might not be the biggest hurdle."
"Smuggling is a good idea, do any of you have any particular skills in this area - we could help with a small crew for a small ship and still keep the Empire's involvement out of sight but if you have skills we could use it would make things easier. Setting up any sort of business is viable, as I said to Kai, the supply lines are important, it will be a lot easier to trade using items we can source here in Dzendalin - small and valuable will be easiest. Jewels, Drugs that type of thing maybe? I merely try and offer my own insight, I am not trying to order you into any one course of action."
Vhon - Level 2 Warlock - What shall become of the Drunken Sailor?
Lyreis - Level 6 Elf Fighter - Eberron: Omega
DM - Dzenda: The Cracks - DM - Dzenda: Whispered Tales
"See?" Gryffen says. "Never trust anyone."
The halfling sets his dishes aside and hops down from his chair. "I doubt any of us are set up with any supply lines for drugs, weapons, art, magical items, or anything else of value. You did not choose the people in this room for their access to such things. If we are to attempt the smuggler ploy, we are the front of the organization. If we need to provide the items, then relics will be the best options, I suspect and we will just need to figure out the logistics to transport the items the great distance. If Kan is willing to font cash to the endeavor, then jewelry and art should be easy to invest in."
"We can provide jewels, drugs, and similar, at short notice and in reasonable quantities, it is the question of the length of the supply line only. Why struggle to move items form one side of the empire to the other when we have things we can move a far shorter distance that command just as much value on the streets, and will, I imagine, be less suspicious than a hoard of relics from the Cities of Dust appearing overnight."
Vhon - Level 2 Warlock - What shall become of the Drunken Sailor?
Lyreis - Level 6 Elf Fighter - Eberron: Omega
DM - Dzenda: The Cracks - DM - Dzenda: Whispered Tales
"well we have learnt one thing this evening, always check the door" Shuffling in his seat he smiles at Dejan before taking another sip of wine. "Drugs would be a good avenue to start with, gets us in on the streets, we could take the first shipment in ourselves by sea and use the ship supplied as a base. We could also take a shipment of exotic wines in as a legitimate cover, get us interacting with the cities upper classes. Has anything of interest been moving on the black market recently anything we could capitalise on?" Gideon turns toward Gryffen "Relics would offer a unique opportunity, requests could be made and we could use the ship to leave and report back whilst acquiring them, building good faith that we can deliver on such request by doing so"
Ophelia
"Fine", Ophelia pouts, "I never wanted to be the madam of a whorehouse anyway." The frown that briefly flashes across her face suggests otherwise.
As she listens to the others talk about smuggling, the half-elf begins to idly play with the cutlery on her plate, until Dejan mentions providing a crew for the ship. "No", she says flatly. "No connections to you or Kan or the Empire, I don't care how tenuous. That's what got your people killed. If this Maxos character can indeed read minds, I don't want some Empire Navy-boy manning our ship, wondering when he'll be promoted or where his next posting will be, and giving the game away in the process. I may have some 'friends' that can help us, so long as they get their cut. We tell them as much as they need to know, which is very little."
She continues to talk at a rapid pace, divulging her knowledge of the wrong side of the law. "Next order of business would be documents. If you're giving us a ship, something showing my ownership of it would be helpful, as would multiple copies of any documents we would need to enter, berth or leave Ameni and wherever we pick this ship up; leave them blank. I'll also need a full set of imperial stamps, seals, waxes, inks and the like. I should be able to write these documents so that they are genuine, but have the tell-tale characteristics of forgery that only fellow experts would notice. No self-respecting smuggler would ever willingly pay berthing fees if they could get away with it, so you either have well forged documents, or badly forged documents and a purse of coins to go with it, if you get caught out."
"Next, merchandise. Jewels and drugs are all very well, but I'd prefer we were noticed as a group who also has access to relics from the west. We don't need a hoard, but we can attract more attention if we have confirmed access to relics from the outset. Poisons would be useful, both to trade, and maybe to use in the future ourselves. Art is good, no paintings though. I have bad memories of stepping through the canvas of a rather expensive piece in the middle of a heist. I wasn't a popular girl that night."
"Finally, acquiring said merchandise. If we turn up with a ship-load of 'smuggled' goods out of the blue, people will again be suspicious. 'Who are these people? How did they get all this stuff? I propose we actually stage a theft from a random imperial warehouse, which the Empire then publicises. Dejan, you could leave the goods well-marked with a token guard presence. We slip in, maybe knock out and tie up a few guard to make it look realistic, and make off with the goods. This way, we gain legitimacy with the right people in Ameni."
Ophelia stands, walks over to the table of food and drink, and pours herself a small glass of wine. "After all that talking, I think I will take a drink after all."
Kai looks incredulously at Ophelia having never come across somebody before with such an understanding of how the criminal mind might work - used to as he was to a far simpler way of thinking. He then says "as to getting in and out without being noticed I may be able to help there!"
DM - Storm King's Thunder - The Gods Respond
DM - Four bards walk into a bar...
Cracitus Tibicen (Tibi) - Aarokocra - Rogue [Swashbuckler] / Fighter [Battlemaster]
Feeling the weight of food, Gryffen sits down and leans back against the wall. "I'm against drugs as well. We don't need to hurt anyone in the process. What's the point of it all otherwise? And drugs do hurt people. I like relics and artwork as well. And maybe we can get some genuine pieces from the far reaches but they don't have to all come from that side of the world. We can sprinkle a few choice pieces in with some stolen items, maybe. I think a false robbery is a good plan, especially if it involves a notable item. We want to be noticed quickly. It should not be anything stolen from Kan, though. That would look obvious."
"We have the formings of a plan, or at least twelve percent of one, everything will have to be shared ownership of course, and I really think we need a legitimate cover for the naughty stuff" he says rubbing his hands together "I still think that should be the wine"
"I would like to hear the art heist story sometime"
OOC GoTG references are going to get you Inspiration if you can fit them in like that! :)
"Documents will be easy to make, I understand exactly what you need in terms of the correct level of accuracy, we have experts who work for us that can produce the best possible work, you will have exactly what you ask for, have no fears. It may be easier to create the initial ones with our men working along side you and then hand over some of the equipment to facilitate you making other items as needed." Dejan sits back relaxing into his chair "The ship can be untraceable, so can a handful of crew be, who would never know who they were really working for, but you can certainly do it yourself, if you are capable. I like your idea of a heist, we could make things easy enough for you to succeed and the misinformation will be easy. You may find that to be a good route into a higher level of conversations inside the Vipers too, they would surely value talent and anyone who could embarrass the Empire with a major theft could be useful to them. You would have to be careful how openly you tried to fence the items though, you need the right amount of attention, not too much."
Nodding to Kai he continues "Yes I'm certain that you could use your powers to improve the chances of success, that is one of the reasons you were selected, you all have valuable talents and maybe the idea of this heist will be beneficial in another way too, it will allow you to learn how to work with each other. If you wish for this I will set it up as soon as possible, that way your arrival in Ameni in the future will not by strange as the rumours will have preceded you. I would think that thieves working at this level would either move extremely quickly to fence the goods on or wait until the heat has died down and then try and move them. We must try and be convincing whichever route we choose."
"We can provide other items readily enough, summarise your list of needs, and we will begin to assemble them. I will also start to plan ways to facilitate your robbery if you choose that option. Are there other things you wish to discuss now or would you like a chance to rest, get to know each other, build camaraderie, or whatever else you wish to do."
If the party make no move to stop him Dejan bids them a good night, instructs them where their rooms are and that they have a good line of credit paid up front and then leaves them to do whatever they wish.
Vhon - Level 2 Warlock - What shall become of the Drunken Sailor?
Lyreis - Level 6 Elf Fighter - Eberron: Omega
DM - Dzenda: The Cracks - DM - Dzenda: Whispered Tales